Chapter 968

In the end, interests determine everything.

Whether in the Federation or here in Lapa.

Pedro pulled his attention away from the riders departing on horseback and turned to the grocery store owner. “Do you still have any stock?”

He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out thirty pala. “I’d like to buy some wheat flour.”

The grocery store owner patted both sides of his pants, then spread his hands. “You see, you’re just a little late—but don’t worry, they’ll deliver new grain on the fifteenth.”

“You could buy tree flour or potatoes instead?”

“Though the taste isn’t as good as wheat grains or wheat flour, at least it’ll fill your stomach.”

Hearing the owner’s words, Pedro thought of the remaining food at home and shook his head. “Then I’ll wait a bit longer.”

He then headed toward the school.

It was only a seven- or eight-minute walk from here to his school; soon he arrived at the office and shared this news with his gossipy colleagues.

“Someone’s buying wheat and wheat flour—and apparently paying high prices.”

His colleague smiled and said, “I heard the same thing. I even heard someone’s planning to get into this business.”

At this, all the teachers without classes turned their attention toward him.

In poor places, people always want to earn more money—or rather, those living in poverty-stricken areas and who are themselves poor are more desperate for success and opportunity than ordinary people in wealthy nations.

The colleague lowered his voice slightly, but it was still loud enough for all the teachers to hear. “In my neighborhood, many residents are now trading tree flour for wheat or wheat flour.”

“Some are secretly buying wheat, paying in pala and then exchanging it for Federation sol.”

“If I didn’t have to come to work, I’d do this too.”

“Some people can earn dozens of pala a day—that’s one or two thousand a month, all in Federation sol. That’s definitely high income.”

The phrase “high income” drew even greater attention from the teachers. Though they were highly educated, they too had base desires in this country.

Who wouldn’t want a better life?

After chatting a while about food, they turned to another new topic.

Yesterday, the principal had informed them that people from the Federation would come to screen films for free, mainly to promote the Federation’s social and cultural conditions.

This initiative was pushed by the Asian Alliance, included in the negotiations between the Asian Alliance and the Federation, and reportedly more free film screenings would follow.

Most Lapanians had never seen a film—not even a hand-cranked, simple one. Only those living in the capital, Zolan, had even a slight chance of watching a film.

Including Pedro—he was looking forward to it. He’d heard of films and seen pictures of them in newspapers, but he’d never actually watched one.

Not just the teachers, but the students at the school were also eager.

At around nine, several foreigners entered the office accompanied by the principal; after the two morning classes ended, the main session would begin.

They arrived just before the main session started.

“These are the gentlemen from the Federation-Asian Alliance Cultural Exchange Promotion Society. They’re the ones who’ll be screening the films for us.”

“Just now, Mr. Jack told me there’s another matter.”

The principal glanced at the man beside him—the one clearly of highest status—“Mr. Jack wants our students to write a reflection after watching the film.”

“The ten best reflections will receive a reward of two Federation sol each.”

The teachers had barely reacted—two pala was barely enough to buy a pound and a bit of wheat. Attractive, but not very.

But when they heard it was two Federation sol, even they were drawn in.

One teacher couldn’t help asking, “Can we write too?”

The question stunned the principal, but Mr. Jack’s laughter brought him back to himself. “Of course.”

“Then let’s say—the three best reflections from teachers will receive a reward of ten Federation sol each.”

Pedro’s breath caught. Ten Federation sol was equivalent to over twenty days’ salary.

He glanced at the pen on the desk. He vaguely remembered writing essays in middle school and even winning awards.

The teachers’ cheers made the principal smile. He then announced, “Take the students to the auditorium.”

“It’s all set up. We can start the film soon.”

“Everyone must go!”

At the principal’s request, Pedro quickly reached his class. Seeing the students’ eager faces, he smiled slightly.

Humans are beings full of curiosity—that’s why we rose to the top of the food chain in natural evolution. At this moment, his feelings matched those of the students: he wanted to see what these films were like.

He raised an eyebrow, making his eyes widen considerably. “You’ve probably heard already—school will be screening a film...”

The students burst into cheers. Daily pressures had left them gasping for air.

The cost of their education was truly high. The poorer and more backward the region, the higher the price of knowledge.

If they failed to enter Jede National University, it would be a crushing blow to them and their families.

The accumulated pressure had finally found an outlet. Pedro didn’t correct their behavior.

After they cheered for a while, he raised his hand to quiet them. “Now, to the auditorium. I expect you to line up properly.”

Soon, students from each class left their classrooms and entered the auditorium.

This high school had only four hundred students total; one auditorium was more than enough to hold them all.

Pedro noticed the principal had brought his family—and he felt a pang of regret. He should’ve brought his own.

He found a seat. Mr. Jack stood on the stage and briefly explained the Federation and Asian Alliance’s joint efforts to promote cultural exchange.

He even mentioned that ten outstanding students would be selected as exchange students to live in the Federation for a period of time.

This news stunned even Pedro. Only the principal sat smiling—he clearly knew this was a surprise!

Compared to this surprise, the two-sol reward for reflections seemed insignificant.

As the lights dimmed, the film began.

A propaganda piece with political intent, in truth.

The scene opened with a volleyball flying through the air—a school sports meet, a volleyball match—with two teenage protagonists, designed to help these students relate.

They eagerly immersed themselves in the scripted story, experiencing all the beauty of Federation society!

They saw clean, orderly campuses, towering cities, endless streams of cars, and pedestrians on the streets dressed in fine clothes.

Every student’s eyes shone with deep curiosity and longing for the Federation!

The word “metropolis” appeared in their minds for the first time, vivid and real—this was a metropolis!

They watched the male and female leads enjoy abundant meals, rich extracurricular activities, cultivated hobbies, social interactions, even romance.

They felt their hopes for the future—as if a bright future was beckoning to these students too.

The colorful life made the students yearn and drown in it. They wished they could become the film’s protagonists and live that perfect life.

The film wasn’t long—less than an hour, fifty-five minutes.

In the final dozen minutes, it presented specific details of Federation society through data and imagery.

It mentioned the level of education popularization and people's income levels.

When the students heard that even factory workers earned at least forty Federation sol, every face showed disbelief!

That was nearly three thousand pala—more than Pedro, a high-income intellectual, earned, and even less than half his salary!

But in the Federation, this was just the income of a worker!

The film mentioned the Federation’s massive recent development, the world’s tallest building, the fastest-completed skyscraper, and the cityscape of New Jin—captivating everyone.

At the end, the male and female leads and other featured people smiled brightly at the camera and shouted together—

“The Federation welcomes you!”

The film ended. The auditorium lights came on, but people remained lost in the Federation’s wonderful life.

Pedro’s emotions swelled for a long while before settling.

He looked at the Federation people sitting beside the principal. Deep inside, many questions stirred.

Soon, Mr. Jack and his team stepped onto the stage, brought a few chairs, and said they’d chat casually with everyone.

Pedro couldn’t help raising his hand. As a teacher, Mr. Jack pointed to him. “Teacher, what would you like to ask?”

Pedro stood up and smoothed his faded clothes. “I’d like to ask... do all people in the Federation have jobs?”

Mr. Jack nodded. “Actually, there are far more job openings in the Federation than willing workers.”

“In other words, if you’re willing to work, you’ll find a suitable job.”

“And the Federation’s minimum wage has risen across the board—most are now between forty-five and forty-eight sol.”

“The Federation also has a comprehensive social welfare system. We provide free medical treatment to those who can’t afford it, distribute winter clothing and free food to the poor.”

“We also...”

Everyone was lost in the Federation’s idealized vision. At this moment, nearly everyone harbored the same thought—

This lifetime, I must go to the Federation once!